Chapter 111: The Big Promise Is Finally About to Be Delivered

"This combat mode feels a bit like a knightly duel!"

"The moves aren't particularly flashy—very plain and straightforward, really methodical!"

"But battling such massive BOSSes is definitely thrilling."

"Yeah, Ash Judgment Gundyr looks incredibly powerful."

"Though, is there something off with the game's difficulty? Or was the equipment used in the demo just too strong? This BOSS battle felt way too short."

"Exactly. It wasn't satisfying at all. Sure, it felt great to dominate the BOSS, but cutting half his health in under thirty seconds? That’s way too fast."

"Well, it’s a game demo. When players actually play it, the experience will vary based on their gear and level. Right now, the main goal is to showcase the Combat System."

"True. The Combat System itself seems pretty solid—at least from what I’ve seen, nothing feels off."

"Yeah, once the official version launches, the difficulty will likely increase a bit. At the very least, there’s always the highest difficulty mode."

"I hope the game offers some real challenge. A short playthrough just leaves you feeling unsatisfied."

"Couldn’t agree more!"

Many players were exchanging their thoughts through bullet comments in the live stream room.

Their discussions mainly focused on the BOSS battle flow and the visual presentation.

After the video finished playing, Chen Xu selected several high-liked bullet comments and responded to them, while also introducing Dark Souls.

"I believe everyone has now seen the Actual Gameplay Demonstration of Dark Souls. What we can tell players right now is that this will be a level-based progression game."

"Also, I’ve noticed players questioning whether the BOSS battle was too short or if the difficulty curve is too easy."

"This touches on the core Gameplay, which is one of the things that sets Dark Souls apart from other ARPGs. I can only say that Dark Souls will be a rather unique game. As for the length of BOSS fights, that actually depends on the player—whether it’s fast or slow depends entirely on player performance."

"I’ve also noticed some players questioning if this is a 'hack-and-slash' type of game. I can only say that it’s possible to play it that way, but again, it depends on the player’s skill."

"In reality, for a certain group of players, Dark Souls will be extremely challenging."

As Chen Xu spoke, viewers tuned in to the live stream sent wave after wave of bullet comments.

The stream’s popularity steadily climbed as well.

Although most players felt like they had heard something meaningful yet somehow not quite grasped it after Chen Xu’s answers, one thing was certain—the atmosphere had been built.

The online game launch event continued.

After the brief showcase of the Combat System,

Chen Xu also displayed on the big screen numerous in-game scenes for all players to see.

From the Firelink Shrine, to the High Wall of Lothric that players reach after passing through it, followed by the Catacombs, Deep Cathedral, Irithyll of the Boreal Valley, and Farron Keep...

Each scene transitioned from close-up to wide-angle, allowing players to fully appreciate the intricate details and the grand, sweeping vistas, leaving everyone present in awe.

These visuals were clearly not the Concept Art or promotional images Chen Xu had previously released on the official Weibo account.

They were actual in-game scenes.

This didn’t just impress players—it amazed game designers across the gaming industry who had been closely watching.

In a chat group of game designers, people were actively discussing Dark Souls.

"Chen Xu’s Dark Souls has absolutely outstanding Art."

"Definitely. It’s top-tier, no doubt."

"But judging by all these scenes, the scale of Dark Souls must be pretty large. I’m actually starting to doubt it."

"Right. Is Chen Xu really going all-in on his first ARPG? With this many scenes, it’s clearly a huge challenge."

"That’s already seven or eight game scenes, isn’t it?"

"I wonder how long the full game’s story will be!"

"As long as the story and Gameplay aren’t major weaknesses or heavily criticized by players, Dark Souls is already halfway to success."

"Yeah, the environment art and art design of this game are just incredible."

"Especially the Irithyll of the Boreal Valley scene—it’s absolutely breathtaking."

If industry professionals were this impressed, players were even more excited, flooding the official live stream room with exclamations.

One thing was certain: just based on the actual in-game performance in combat and the game’s environment art, Dark Souls was already halfway to success.

Whether it could become an excellent game, however, would depend on its subsequent work.

After all, a game can’t be judged by just one aspect. The overall content, depth of experience, and deeper elements must all be considered.

Even if a game uses the most advanced technology in the industry and pushes graphics to their limits, if the story or other core content falls flat, it’s still unlikely to earn players’ approval.

For example, take a game that ranks among the top tier in graphics and presentation.

Yet as a Story-driven game, it starts by making players control the protagonist witnessing the brutal murder of a loved one, then takes them through a repetitive cycle of revenge, retirement, and returning for revenge again, only to conclude with the protagonist realizing that revenge only breeds more revenge. Can such a game truly be called a masterpiece?

Clearly, most players have a very clear judgment on this.

Therefore, for Dark Souls, what it currently possesses is merely its lowest skill floor.

Whether it can evolve into an excellent work, and to what extent, still depends on the quality of its story and Gameplay.

At the very end of the live stream, under the eager gazes of countless players in front of their computers, Chen Xu officially announced the game’s release date.

"Dark Souls will officially launch on October 1st, priced at 268 Yuan!"

Of course, this was the public price. But as the first blockbuster title on the Nebula Games Platform,

serving as both a flagship title and a user-acquisition tool,

Chen Xu decided against an exclusive release strategy due to uncertainty in sales.

It was simply too risky.

However, a money-based strategy was still viable—Nebula Games currently had ample financial reserves.

While the public price was set at 268 Yuan, players who purchased through the Nebula Games Platform would receive an additional 69-Yuan discount coupon.

For the Nebula Games Platform at this stage, the priority was growing its user base and gradually encouraging these new users to make purchases on the platform, thereby increasing the cost for players to abandon the platform.

The players watching the live stream, of course, had no idea about these strategies. They simply felt joy that the long-awaited promise they’d been anticipating for months was finally coming true.

After enduring months of waiting, the big promise was finally about to be delivered!

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